Silky Terrier Dog Breed Information

The Silky Terrier is one of the few dog breeds developed in Australia, alongside the Australian Cattle Dog, the Kelpie and the Australian Terrier. Bred down in early 20th-century Sydney from Yorkshire and Australian Terrier crosses, it sits between those two breeds: bigger and more terrier-typical than a Yorkshire Terrier, more refined and longer-coated than the wire-coated Australian Terrier. NZ owners who think they have a Yorkie sometimes have a Silky and have not yet noticed.

Adults stand 23 to 26 cm at the shoulder and weigh 4 to 6 kg. The single silky coat is blue and tan, or silver-blue and tan, parted down the back and falling to roughly floor-length on the body in show condition. Most NZ pet owners keep the coat in a shorter “puppy clip” for practicality. Lifespan is 12 to 15 years.

The signal that defines daily life with a Silky is the terrier wiring. This is a small dog with the prey drive, alarm-barking and independence of a working terrier, packed into a 5 kg silky-coated package. Buyers who picked the breed for the looks and expected a Yorkie-mellow lap dog are often surprised by how much terrier turned up.

Personality and behaviour

Silky Terriers are confident, busy and bonded to their family. They are affectionate without being clingy: happy to be near you, less interested in lap-time than a Cavalier or a Toy Poodle, keen to patrol windows, gardens and visitors. They make a sharp little watchdog and a poor silent flatmate.

The breed is generally good with school-age children who respect a small dog’s space, less ideal with toddlers because of size and the breed’s tendency to defend itself if cornered. Silkies live happily alongside other dogs after sensible introductions but rarely seek dog-park rough-and-tumble; they prefer the company of their own family.

Prey drive is high. Cats they grew up with are usually fine; visiting cats, rabbits, mice, lizards and small wildlife trigger a chase response that does not turn off. Recall in unfenced areas should not be relied on; long lines and fenced parks are the realistic options.

Vocalising is moderate to high. Silkies alert-bark at noises, visitors and other dogs. Reward-based training shapes this down to manageable, but the breed is genuinely barkier than a Cavalier or a Tibetan Spaniel. Townhouse and detached-house living is easier than tight shared-wall apartments for noise reasons.

What surprises new owners is how athletic the breed is for its size. Silky Terriers handle long walks, hikes, beach runs and trick training with ease, jumping further and running faster than the silky-coated lap-dog appearance suggests. The breed wants a job to some extent, much like the Min Pin, and gets vocal and pushy when underemployed.

Personality and behaviour with other pets

Most Silkies cohabit fine with another resident dog if introduced young. Same-sex dog-dog living is harder than mixed-sex; the breed has the terrier streak that does not back down. Cats raised with the puppy work; introducing an adult Silky to a new cat is much harder. Rabbits, guinea pigs and small wildlife are not safe co-habitants regardless of socialisation; this is what the breed was bred to chase.

Care and exercise

Plan on around 45 minutes of exercise a day, split into a walk plus some kind of mental work. The breed handles long walks, off-lead play in fenced parks, and short hikes well for its size. Mental work counts as exercise; trick training, food puzzles and short scent games tire a Silky out as effectively as a pavement walk.

Grooming is the input most owners underestimate.

• Full-length coat (show condition) needs brushing every day with a pin brush, weekly bathing, and combing out tangles around ears, armpits and feathered legs. Most NZ pet owners do not keep this length.
• Puppy clip (the practical pet option) keeps the coat at 2 to 4 cm overall. Brush three to four times a week, full bath every four to six weeks, professional clip every six to eight weeks at NZ$70 to NZ$110.
• Pet trim anywhere between the two. Many NZ Silky owners trim the body shorter and leave the head and tail feathered.

The coat does not shed onto floors but it tangles fast if neglected. Skipping a fortnight of brushing turns into matting that needs scissoring out.

Dental care is a lifetime job. Daily brushing from puppyhood, and an annual scale and polish from age three (NZ$500 to NZ$900), keeps the lifetime dental bill manageable.

Use a harness, not a collar. Silky Terriers have a documented rate of tracheal collapse; consistent neck pressure on a small windpipe is a known risk factor.

Cold tolerance is moderate. The single silky coat is less insulating than a Yorkie’s denser coat or a Min Pin’s smooth-but-fitted skin layer. A fitted coat is sensible kit for Wellington winter walks and essential for Otago and Southland walks below 5 degrees.

Diet is straightforward. Adults do well on 90 to 140 g of quality dry food a day, split into two meals. Diabetes mellitus has a higher than average rate in the breed; keeping the dog lean and avoiding sugary treats matters more than for some toys.

Where to find a Silky Terrier in New Zealand

Three honest paths.

1. Registered NZKC breeders. The Dogs NZ breeders directory lists registered Silky Terrier breeders, but numbers are very low; perhaps a handful of breeders nationwide produce litters in any given year. Expect a 12 to 24 month waitlist and NZ$2,200 to NZ$4,000 per puppy. Ask for patella checks, any Legg-Calve-Perthes history, and parents’ dental health.
2. Importing from Australia. A common path for serious NZ buyers given the limited local supply. Budget another NZ$2,000 to NZ$4,000 for transport, quarantine and paperwork on top of the puppy price. The breed is more common in Australia and most NZ Silky lines trace there.
3. Breed rescue and SPCA NZ. The breed is rare enough that pure rescue Silkies are unusual. Yorkie crosses and Silky-Yorkie mixes appear from time to time. Adoption fees NZ$300 to NZ$700.

Avoid Trade Me listings advertising “Mini Yorkie”, “Silky Yorkie cross” or “Australian Yorkie” puppies without parent registration. The Silky is its own breed and worth sourcing through NZKC channels.

Insurance and lifetime cost

Silky Terrier insurance claims in NZ tend to cluster around dental disease, patellar luxation, the occasional diabetes diagnosis, and tracheal-collapse-related respiratory issues in older dogs. Three things shape lifetime cost.

The first is the long lifespan. 12 to 15 years stretches every fixed cost. Insurance, food, grooming and registration over a Silky life add up to more than for a 10-year breed.

The second is dental. Most NZ pet insurers exclude routine dental cleaning, and the breed needs annual scale-and-polish from age three.

The third is diabetes management. Insulin, monitoring and dietary food for a diabetic dog runs NZ$1,200 to NZ$2,500 a year on top of normal vet costs. Lifetime cover is meaningful for a breed with a documented elevated diabetes rate; insure puppies the day you bring them home.

For a typical NZ Silky Terrier on a mid-range lifetime policy, lifetime cost (purchase plus 12 to 15 years of food, vet, insurance, registration, grooming and incidentals) sits around NZ$24,000 to NZ$38,000. Grooming costs are moderate; vet costs sit at the typical small-breed average unless diabetes shows up.

What surprises new owners

Three things come up repeatedly with NZ Silky Terrier households.

The breed is more terrier than the looks suggest. Buyers who pictured a Yorkie or a Maltese often expected a quieter, lower-drive dog. Silkies need real exercise, real training, and real fencing.

The grooming is more work than the breed marketing suggests. Floor-length show coats are unrealistic for most pet households; the puppy clip is the practical NZ option, and even that involves a clip every six to eight weeks plus brushing several times a week.

The bark level is real. The breed alert-barks at most things and shapes only partially with training. Apartment dwellers should test tolerance by spending time with an adult Silky before committing. The Cavalier and the Tibetan Spaniel sit in the quieter slot more comfortably.